Read this Chinese parable. Are there any similarities between the Western Story "Chicken Little" and this Eastern story?
Once there was a man from Qi, who was worried about the falling sky and the sinking earth.
A friend, worried about his worrying, came to calm him.
He said to the man, "The sky is all air, nothing but air. As you inhale and exhale, and breathe air into the sky all day long, there is no need to worry about a falling sky."
The man then asked, "So the sky is just air. Then what about the Sun, the Moon and the stars falling from the sky?"
He replied, "These are only twinkling objects of air. Even if they fall, they won't hurt you."
The man continued, "What about sinking earth?"
He replied, "The earth is made up of solid blocks of earth, which have filled up all the spaces. There are no empty spaces. If you stamp your feet on the ground all day, the earth will not sink."
Hearing this, the man is very happy. The friend was very happy too.
A friend, worried about his worrying, came to calm him.
He said to the man, "The sky is all air, nothing but air. As you inhale and exhale, and breathe air into the sky all day long, there is no need to worry about a falling sky."
The man then asked, "So the sky is just air. Then what about the Sun, the Moon and the stars falling from the sky?"
He replied, "These are only twinkling objects of air. Even if they fall, they won't hurt you."
The man continued, "What about sinking earth?"
He replied, "The earth is made up of solid blocks of earth, which have filled up all the spaces. There are no empty spaces. If you stamp your feet on the ground all day, the earth will not sink."
Hearing this, the man is very happy. The friend was very happy too.
-Lie Zi, Han Dynasty